'Rangpur Riders needed to play big-hearted cricket': Assistant coach Ashraful after BPL exit

Rangpur Riders suffered a crushing nine-wicket defeat to Khulna Tigers in the BPL Eliminator, failing to recover from an early collapse.

Assistant coach Mohammad Ashraful emphasised that the team needed to play with more courage in tough situations.

Batting first after winning the toss on Monday, Rangpur collapsed early, losing five wickets for just 15 runs.

By the time they reached 52, they had already lost nine wickets.

A late fightback by Pakistani pacer Akif Javed, who scored 32 off 18 balls, helped them post a modest total of 85.

Despite this, Ashraful had hoped to see more players step up in adversity.

The former Bangladesh captain stressed that franchise T20 cricket demands fearless play.

Ahead of the Eliminator, Rangpur had brought in big-name overseas players like James Vince, Andre Russell, and Tim David. However, their contributions were minimal, with Vince scoring just 1, David 7, and Russell 4.

When asked about the underwhelming performances, Ashraful remarked, "As a coach, I feel our players needed to play big-hearted cricket. Losing a wicket early is part of the game, but the way we mentally collapsed after that was disappointing."

Ashraful had expected a more aggressive approach from the batters, citing an example from the Global Super League where Khushdil Shah's quickfire fifty had been decisive.

"We could have played more aggressively. Even if we lost another wicket, attacking the spinners in the powerplay might have helped us put pressure on them. Franchise cricket demands a bigger heart. In the Global Super League, we won a game because Khushdil Shah scored a fifty off 30 balls. I had hoped that players like Saif or Mehedi would play such innings, scoring 20 off 10 or 40 off 20. That element was missing."

Rangpur had started their BPL campaign on a high, winning their first eight matches and becoming the first team to secure a playoff berth.

However, a dramatic downturn saw them lose five consecutive matches, culminating in their elimination.

Reflecting on this shift in fortunes, Ashraful admitted, "We had an incredible start, winning 11 consecutive matches across two tournaments, including three in the Global T20. But after our loss to Rajshahi, we struggled and lost five matches in a row. This is frustrating for everyone."

He further elaborated, "That's cricket. Once you lose momentum, it's difficult to regain it—especially in a short format like T20 with just 120 balls per innings. Since 23rd January, we have consistently failed in all three departments. Against Rajshahi, we dropped two catches early, and we struggled in the powerplay. This has been a recurring issue, making the exit even more disappointing for everyone involved."